Who is the Real Evil?
by SlytherClawQueen13
Summary: Hermione has found out that her entire life has been a lie. What will she do now that she cannot trust anyone?
1. Chapter 1

"Ms. Granger, can you tell me how you were captured?" The twinkling blue eyes above her swam with a darkness that Hermione had never seen before. She grit her teeth tightly, fighting past the pain shooting through her body.

"What do you mean how was I captured?! I risked my ass for Harry and Ron to make sure they could get through, and what happens? I got fucking captured and had to wait a week before I could try and escape. Why didn't anyone come looking for me, huh? I'm sure you all knew where I was, why-" She was cut off by the Headmaster, whose voice cut through her body like a knife, "Ms. Granger, surely you know that our main priority is Harry? We simply could not waste the resources to try and rescue you, when you shouldn't have been captured in the first place." Hermione was flabbergasted. How in the world could he just say that to her? After the torture, she had endured in place of her friends, after risking her life every fucking year for the "greater good," almost getting killed every year? With her anger rushing through her, Hermione kept her face blank but slowly entered Dumbledore's mind. They always underestimated her, never giving her enough credit for her intelligence. Why wouldn't she be able to sneak her way into his mind without him knowing? He would never expect her to even try, which was why it wasn't shocking to see that he had been keeping secrets from her. But the secrets themselves? They were unbelievable. She saw what he truly thought about her, that she was just a tool to be used until she was no longer useful. She delved a bit deeper without him noticing and saw him giving her parents a bundle containing her, and to her surprise, he drew his wand on them, and then used extremely strong compulsion and imperious spells on them, "This child is yours, you birthed her and will provide for her and treat her well." After seeing that, she dug a bit more and found him casting compulsion spells on her and slipping small doses of love potions into her meals to forge a connection with Ron and Harry, making her realize that everything she knew was a complete and utter lie. With her fury contained for the moment she murmured to him that she understood and was sorry for asking such a silly question, sarcasm lacing her words. Dumbledore didn't take any notice and grinned at her, "I'm glad you understand Ms. Granger. Now if you will excuse me, I have some important business to take care of."

After he left, Hermione sat there and allowed the anger to roll through her, clenching her jaw and fists tightly, her nails cutting into her hand. After a while, Professor McGonagall strode in, her forehead crinkled with distress and her stride more of her feline counterpart than she normally allowed. Before she could open her mouth, Hermione had to know if her mentor knew about this, "Professor McGonagall…do you know who I actually am? Did you know about what Dumbledore has kept from me?" McGonagall's face said it all. She did know, she kept this from Hermione, but her face was covered in shame.

"Ms. Granger, yes I did know. However, Dumbledore said it would be safer for you to not know who you came from. I am sorry that I did not tell you about your adoption. Would you like to know who-" Hermione's face was one of confusion, "Did you also know that he has kept me under compulsion spells since I came to Hogwarts? Did you know that he has laced my drinks and food with small doses of love potions to keep me tied to the boys? Did you know these things as well?!" The professor's face was slack with surprise before she clenched her jaw and hissed through her teeth, "That slimy git! I knew there was something off about your friendship with those dunderheads! You're far too intelligent to want to surround yourself with those two lackwits. Hermione, I am so sorry. I wish I could have saved you from this, but alas, I wasn't able to. If I had known, I would have done something, this I promise you. Once you are better, we can try and get you someplace safe, okay? But for now, just stay low and don't anger Albus, alright?" With that being said, the two witches sat and discussed more mundane things, both planning for the future of Hermione. After a while McGonagall left, promising to come by again soon and telling her to get some rest.

Hermione waited for an hour before silently getting out of bed and grabbing her wand, ignoring the pain radiating through her body. She respected McGonagall quite a bit, but she knew she couldn't stay here any longer. If she slipped up and Dumbledore found out she knew, it would either be death or more spells and potions forced into her system, causing her to lose herself once again. She refused to allow someone to take control of her life any longer. Her fate would be up to her, no one else, after all, she was the brightest witch of her age. With her wand in her hand, she accio'd her beaded purse, grinning as it zoomed into her hands. The purse had all her belongings, what with her always having to leave and do something at the drop of a hat. Besides, no one could get her items this way. With one final look around the room, Hermione cast a notice-me-not spell and quietly walked out towards the entrance of Hogwarts. As she walked, she made sure to keep her ears and eyes trained on any sudden movement and sound, hoping that she would be able to get out of the building without alerting anyone to her disappearance. Once she made it safely out of the building, she walked out towards the front gate, remembering that one could not apparate on Hogwarts grounds. After making it out of the school, she took one last glance at the castle, her home away from home, and disappeared with a twist and pop.

She landed gracefully, her hair falling gently around her face while she tried to ignore the pain radiating through her body. She took a deep breath and started walking, having no certain place in mind, just letting her feet guide her. Her thoughts raced, she couldn't believe that her entire life had been a lie and just a piece of manipulation for the Headmaster. The Headmaster who was supposed to have their best interests in mind, not toying with their lives and molding them into his own little pawn. At least she was 17 due to her time turner use. Hermione didn't think that she would ever be more thankful than she was at this moment. No longer was she under someone's thumb, she could find out who she truly was and not have her every move be manipulated into some grand scheme. Inhaling deeply, she twisted and apparated into one of the wizarding villages she knew about, one that she hopefully wouldn't be recognized in. Her landing was less graceful this time, the impact causing her to grunt and hold her ribs tightly, feeling the agonizing pressure from the apparition squeeze her broken ribs. Gritting her teeth, Hermione started walking, not paying much attention to the few witches and wizards that were around until she felt a hand land on her shoulder, causing her to cry out and whip around, obscenities ready to fly out. Before she could say a word, she was pulled into side-along apparition with a familiar blond.

Hermione yanked away once they landed, grabbing her wand and raising it towards the woman who she had only seen once or twice before, Mrs. Malfoy. Before she was able to cast a spell, her ribs gave a painful throb, causing her to drop her wand before she started expelling the bile from her stomach. The young witch fell to her knees as she sobbed out in pain, trying to throw up more but having nothing else to expel. She turned her face up towards the Malfoy matriarch, "So am I going to be tortured or killed? Or am I going to end up being some plaything for one of your bloody Death Eaters? Either way, either speed it up or just go ahead and throw me in a cell. I would like to at least try and rest some before this all goes to hell." Narcissa shook her head, murmuring that there would be no torture of her in her home before she waved her wand towards Hermione, reassuring her when she flinched at the wand pointing at her before cleaning her up. After she cleaned her up she reached down and helped her up, easing her pain as best as she could, before telling her, "The Dark Lord would like to speak with you. I know you have no reason to trust us, but please know that we aren't going to hurt you. You are our guest Ms. Granger." Hermione kept her scrutiny to herself but nodded hesitantly towards her.

After being lead through the manor, Hermione and Narcissa stop in front of a large set of beautiful, wooden doors. Narcissa knocked, a silky voice responding to let them know to come in. Voldemort looked taken aback when his eyes landed on Hermione, and to her surprise he seemed (as much as one can tell) overjoyed at her being within the manor.

"Ms. Granger, what a surprise…I am glad you are here. Surprised no doubt? Well you see, I have been wanting to meet with you for a while now. But before getting into that, why are you no afraid of me? Even some of my followers fear my appearance, yet you just stand there looking me dead on. Why is that?" Hermione tilted her head to the side with a slight smirk on her face before uttering, "Well hello there, cousin. You see, I found out some things before I was brought here. You and I are related, distantly, but we are related. Besides, I have been facing you for years now, why would I be afraid? Your appearance is almost normal to me now." Voldemort was completely taken aback before he tried to delve into Hermione's mind, to his surprise he was able to view her memory of the talk with Dumbledore and McGonagall, but when he started venturing off towards other memories, he found his way blocked before he was pushed out of her mind.

"Well, well. You are an accomplished Occulumens and Legilimens. That isn't all that surprising now that I think of it. Of course, Dumbledore would underestimate your mind, how could anyone be as accomplished as him? I can see that you are extremely upset with your headmaster, are upset that they have taken away from you, lied to you, manipulated you. I am very sorry that this has happened to you. Now, I am sure you're wondering why you aren't being tortured or questioned. Well, to be frank, I have wanted to bring you into our fold since you first thwarted me in your first year. You see, I know that you are the reason for Potter's survival. You are the one who plans everything, makes sure no one gets too badly hurt, you make sure that you are prepared for anything that could happen. You, not Potter, not the Weasel. I know that you have heard we hate "mudbloods" and that I am a cruel man. That isn't true. I don't care about blood status. Some of my followers do, but they will be taken care of here soon. I do dish out punishments when someone does something wrong, however I am not merciless and I don't torture everyone in my ranks. After all, how could I have as many followers if I was out torturing everyone?" Hermione stood there in shock, her mind racing through what Voldemort had said, trying to process it all. How could everything she has known, even about the biggest evil in the world be wrong? How could she believe him and what he said? Movement in the corner of her eye made her thoughts come to a screeching halt. There stood, who she thought was, Bellatrix Lestrange. But she didn't look like she did at the ministry. No, she looked to be in her twenties, her face no longer sunken in, no more cruel insanity playing on her face, instead, she looked like a fallen angel. That thought caused Hermione to blush slightly before she shook her head, groaning as it caused her to become dizzy. She took deep breathes before being able to shake the fuzzy feeling in her head.

"I am rather shocked that you have wanted to speak to me for so long, but then again, I have noticed that you do value intelligence more than the Order does. If you aren't against muggleborns, then what are your plans if you do win?" To her shock, Voldemort waved his wand over his face, causing it to transform into what she assumed was what Harry had described after second year. There stood a handsome Tom Riddle, no longer reptilian looking, but a head covered in silky looking hair, deep brown eyes, and a slight smirk on his face.

"Well Ms. Granger, muggleborns would be taken from their homes and placed into a magical home. Oh, don't look so appalled. Muggles are a danger to our world, especially ones who become fearful once they find out that their children are magical. Tell me, after your acceptance letter, how was your relationship with your parents? Did they flinch if you had your wand out, were you able to talk about anything magical to them? Or did your relationship deteriorate into nothingness? That's how it is for most people. Some it is even worse. This way, muggles won't know about our world and the children will be able to learn more about magic so they won't be as far behind. I also plan on giving more rights to creatures, seeing as most are highly intelligent. I'm sure that this wasn't told in your Order meetings, though was it? After all, the Order has never once put muggleborn children on their priority list, hell they haven't even put creatures up high on their list, even though they have a werewolf in their midst. They are just as bad as some of the pureblood families when it comes to preserving what they think is right. You are the only muggleborn that has ever been in their ranks Ms. Granger. So, think about that for a few moments."

Bellatrix was still there in the shadows, but Hermione couldn't spare a glance her way, not when there was so much that she was just told. Had Dumbledore even lied about what Voldemort was all about? Behind her she heard Narcissa, "Sorry if you feel eyes on you Hermione. My sister is a bit of a voyeur." There was a lightness to her voice that Hermione wouldn't think of ever being present in her voice, which caused her to laugh at what she said and her entire situation. The laughing caused bright spots to form in her vision, her ribs jostling enough to cause her to start coughing, red liquid spraying out of her mouth. Being the polite woman that she was, she had used her hand to cover her mouth. When she pulled her hand away, she started to sway lightly before falling over. Narcissa reached for her but Bellatrix leaped from her hiding spot to catch the young witch who had peaked her interest at the battle of the ministry. Bellatrix gently lowered the girl to the ground, eyes roving over her face with a softness that no one had seen on her face since before her Azkaban sentence.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise. Reviews and such make my heart happy and I am so excited that most of you seem to like what I have written so far! Thanks for the love.

"Ms. Granger, please don't be embarrassed. I understand that this is all confusing to you. Why don't I just go over what you missed? You passed out due to some internal bleeding and a few cracked ribs, not to mention the whip marks on your back. My sister and I brought you here and healed you up with the help of Severus's potions, you're progressing nicely. The reason you don't feel much pain right now is due to a numbing potion that my sister invented. We didn't want you to be in more pain than you needed to be in, but it will be another week or so before you are fully healed. Bellatrix and myself have watched over you for most the time, with the Dark Lord coming in and making sure you were alright. Do you have anything you want to ask about?"

"Well, mostly I was shocked about how you spoke with Tottie. I'm not wanting to seem disrespectful, but Dobby acted like this house was awful and it doesn't seem like what I have seen from pureblooded families. I am surprised that I was healed so thoroughly, especially since it was his bloody death eaters who did this bullshit to me."

"Ms. Granger, what are you talking about? Who did this to you?" It wasn't Narcissa who spoke, it was Lord Voldemort. His face was pulled into a frown, anger sparking within his eyes.

"Don't feed me lies cousin. The bloody Lestrange brothers did this to me on your orders! They told me as they beat me, cursed me, and left me for dead!" Hermione's magic was crackling around her, her hair lifting upwards in her rage.

A calming hand was placed on her shoulder, "Ms. Granger, Hermione. There were never any orders to harm you. If any of my people found you by yourself they were to bring you to me unharmed. Those were my explicit orders. I promise you they will pay for what they have done." Voldemort stood in front of Hermione, his face solemn and drawn in. "I knew that you were the reason for Mr. Potter's survival. I wanted to bring you into my ranks. Your intelligence is something that I value, along with your magical prowess. I can feel your magic right now and that's without you being trained to your full potential, imagine how powerful you could be without being denied the knowledge of the dark arts! Besides, now that you have told me that we are related, I will ensure that you are trained to become all that you can be and you will be protected as well. I do value family Ms. Granger, though it would be nice to know how we are related. Now, I will be getting the Lestrange brothers and putting them down in the dungeon for when you are ready to take care of them however you want to."

Hermione sat there in complete shock. Here was the leader of a group of people considered evil, protecting her, willing to train her, sacrificing two of his men because they attacked her. Though, she surmised that he was also doing this because they directly disobeyed his orders, but still. She jerked slightly when out of the corner of her eye she saw a head full of black curls slide past, her eyes widening as she remembered that one of the Lestrange brothers was married to THE Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most notorious Death Eater. She shook her head, she knew that most pureblooded marriages were not made from love, though she was worried that Bellatrix would want to get back at her for lowering her husband in the eyes of Voldemort. Deciding to put that out of her mind for now, Hermione addressed her cousin, "Well Voldemort, I am your cousin like I said before. I'm not actually exactly sure how we are related, but I am kin to you from your mother's side, not your father's. My parents were killed before I turned one, but I couldn't see who killed them. All I know is Dumbledore placed spells on the Grangers to make them believe that I was their child, and then placed me under spells and potions for much of my life. Who the fuck does that to a child?! I got stuck with two dunderheads who have the emotional depth of a teaspoon and the intelligence of a rock. Maybe I would have been friends with them from the beginning, but now I will never know. As for the Lestrange brothers, thank you for taking care of them. I hate to seem rude, but I am rather famished and tired. Thank you for allowing me to rest here, cousin."

Luckily, Voldemort could see just how tired Hermione truly was. She could barely hold her eyes open and was swaying lightly on the bed. Once he walked out of the room with a small bow, Tottie appeared with a tray of soup, bread, and a warm cup of jasmine tea. Hermione thanked Tottie graciously and slowly started eating, letting out an appreciative moan at the taste and warmth that the soup provided. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten such a delicious meal. The week of torture had just followed a few weeks of training and living off the land. Unfortunately, she wasn't used to eating such delicious food and had to stop not even half way through the bowl. With a content sigh, she set the bowl back down and drank some of the tea, closing her eyes and relishing in the refreshing taste.

"Ms. Granger, I feel like you will be falling asleep rather soon, why don't I put this over here and let you rest some? Call for Tottie if you need anything, alright? Oh! If you would like, perhaps when you wake back up later we can get you bathed and into some clean clothes. Refreshing spells only go so far and I'm sure it would feel lovely to the soreness that I'm sure you're feeling. Well, rest well Ms. Granger." With that, Narcissa left the witch to rest.

Hermione slept for what felt like ages but was only a few hours. When she woke up she noticed the clean towel laid on the armchair along with a clean set of clothes that were obviously not her usual taste in clothing. With a shrug, she slowly crawled out of the bed, wincing as some of the previously numbed pain came back with a vengeance, and grabbed the towel and clean clothes, set on taking a nice, hot bath. However, once she stepped into the bathroom, she was confused as to how to work the bathtub, it not being like her usual tubs. With some hesitance, Hermione called for Tottie, jumping when she immediately appeared next to her.

"Sorry Misses Grangy! Tottie didn't mean to frighten you. I'm guessing you need help with the bathtub? It's magic, you just wave your wand at it and it will adjust to your liking. There are scents right on the other edge to make the bath smell even better." With that, the energetic little house elf popped back out of the room, going to her next task.

Hermione just shook her head in amazement, how could such a small creature have so much energy? With a wave of her arm, the bath turned itself on, hot water swirling in the tub while she searched through the scents until she stopped at the lavender and rose scents. With a light blush she dumped some of them into the water, almost purring at the wondrous smell that permeated the air. Once the tub shut itself off, Hermione stripped out of her clothing and slowly stepped into the bath, moaning as the hot water caressed her worn out body. Leaning her head back, Hermione thought of everything that had happened in just two weeks. She found out she was adopted, related to the man who killed her "friend's" parents, her friends weren't even her real friends, her headmaster was a manipulative old bastard, and she was resting in comfort in none other than Malfoy's house. Her life was spinning out of control and she had no idea how to fix it, so she did the next best thing, compartmentalizing everything that had happened. It was easier if she didn't get emotional and stayed rational. She remembered how everyone always said she was too stoic, but it helped her make sure to always keep a calm head. She wasn't ruled by her emotions like the boys were, like most of the Order were. Once she got her thoughts settled, Hermione started methodically washing her body, removing the residual grime that the cleansing spells couldn't remove. After getting squeaky clean she set about removing all of her body hair, snorting as she remembered how Ginny acted like it was so scandalous that she removed ALL of her body hair. Once she was finished, she drained the water and refilled it, intent on sitting and relaxing.

After a while, Hermione was finally finished with her bath and climbed out, ignoring the pain that was pushing out. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she dried her body off and dressed in the new clothes that she was given, waving her wand to dry her hair and put it in a messy bun not knowing what else to do with it. She strode back into her room, pulling up short when she saw that the two sisters were sitting there waiting for her. Her breath left her body as her eyes traveled over Bellatrix, the dark sister as she was known. She had shining dark hair, long lashes, full lips that were upturned into a smirk, heavily hooded eyes that looked like they were trying to seduce you, and the body of a 25-year-old. But before Hermione could comment, Lord Voldemort walked in.

"Ah, Ms. Granger, or should I say Ms. Fawley, I'm glad to see that you are awake and moving around, though do take it easy. You had some nasty injuries. Anyway, I found out how we are related and who your real parents are. Though, by the look on your face before I came in here, you are wondering about our lovely Bellatrix, yes?" Seeing her nod hesitantly at him, he continued. "Bellatrix was affected by the Black curse before she even joined my ranks. The Black curse is something that is randomly passed to people of the Black line. It causes the person to pretty much lose their sanity. Bellatrix here was able to fight it off for the most part, however, when she went to Azkaban she lost all control over the curse. The dementors and the guards were not the friendliest to her and as such it took away most of her sanity and destroyed her body. Luckily, I knew a way to reverse the damage done to her, though it was a long and painful procedure for her to endure. I had to transfer some of my magic and energy into her, as did her sister and we had to draw out the curse and destroy it. Luckily, the curse will be no more and will not be passed on through the bloodline. Bellatrix was given her body and mind back from her prime, which was 24."

Hermione was shocked. That kind of magic was dangerous and extremely taxing on all parties involved. It was unheard of using it to restore one's life and sanity, though she had to admit that it was well worth it if the results were as astounding as this. She started thinking about the curse and remembered Sirius with a frown. He had been rather volatile and kind of a creeper, always wanting to get near herself or Ginny, once or twice destroying everything in a room if he was told he wasn't allowed to do something, staying up all hours of the night screaming spells about in his room. Luckily, there was usually a silencing charm up, but on the occasions, he forgot, it was always extremely hard to get to sleep.

"Sirius had the curse too, didn't he? He was always…off I suppose. Very volatile, creepy, could be rather petulant as well." Hermione noticed how Bellatrix's face darkened at the mention of his being creepy and wished she hadn't said a thing.

"Yes, that mutt had the curse. Instead of trying to fight it or contain, he embraced it. I can't tell you how glad I am that he died that night. I wasn't even trying to kill him honestly. I sent a stunner towards him but it hit him wrong and sent him into the veil. Good riddance. He was an awful pig and I hope he got what was coming to him."

Bellatrix's voice was silky and husky all at once, hinting at a darkness that one could only be born with. Hermione flushed lightly and nodded to show that she understood what she was saying. She honestly never liked Sirius and only put up with him because it was expected of her.

"So, my name is Fawley? Wait, isn't that one of the 28 pureblood families? That's…interesting to say the least. Wait, didn't the Fawley's support you during the first war?" Hermione wanted to know why her parents were killed, why she was taken away from her actual family and placed with muggles. She wanted to know why the fuck someone messed with her life.

"Yes, Hermione they did. Order members killed them and were about to kill you as well, but apparently, Dumbledore couldn't have the blood of a child on his hands so he took you and placed you with muggles and made them believe that you were theirs. I assume he realized that you would have an inclination for the dark arts due to your blood so he placed the compulsions on you and laced your food and drinks. I would assume that you aren't a Gryffindor either. Your family was filled with Slytherins and Ravenclaws, and from what I know of you either house would be much more fitting than Gryffindor. Besides being a Fawley, you are also a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, even if it is diluted. You aren't a Parselmouth yet due to the spells placed on you, including I'm sure a glamour of sorts to make sure no one could recognize you, though they are rather shoddy. I knew your parents and you still look like them now. I know I have imparted quite a bit of information to you, but I wanted to tell you that Pius has drawn up the papers for you to claim your family and name. He did it in secret so no one can trace it back to you, but from he tells me you will have plenty of properties, money, and all sorts of artifacts. It should also cause the glamour to dissipate. Well, I'm sure that that is enough information for now, rest easy cousin. Once you are healed we shall talk about what you will do. Also, you should call me Tom if you don't want to call me Voldemort all the time."

"Thank you, Tom. I-I'm glad I know who my parents are. I appreciate what you have done for me. Also, I like you better this way, no slits for a nose, no beady red eyes either." This last part was said with a cheeky grin. To everyone's shock, Tom laughed and smiled at her before nodding. Once he walked out, Hermione turned her attention back to the two sisters. One as light as the other was dark, but both stunning in their own ways. Hermione sent a hesitant smile to the two, and was blinded when they both responded with their own. Hermione didn't know teeth could be so white and perfect.

"Ms. Fawley, I wanted to apologize for my idiot of a soon-to-be ex-husband. You would think he would know better than to disobey our lord, but alas, he's a moron as is his brother. Luckily, now I will be granted a divorce, take both of their wealth, and become an independent woman again. So, thank you for that." Bellatrix was watching Hermione closely, smirking inwardly at how she became entranced at the sound of her voice and how a light flush disappeared underneath the shirt she wore.

"I-um, you're welcome? I uh, accept your apology as well, though there is no need for one. I think I would like to eat and maybe rest some more? I feel a headache coming on and my body is feeling rather tight-I mean sore! Um, so yes. I will see you two later?" Hermione was more flustered than she could ever remember being. She never stuttered this much over a few simple sentences. Chalking it up to her tiredness, she escorted the ladies out of her room, not noticing that her hand lingered a tad bit too low on Bellatrix's back. Once the two sisters were out, Hermione crawled into the bed, curled into a small ball and let her tears flow down her face. After a few minutes of crying, Hermione angrily wiped her face dry and took a few deep breathes. She would lock down these emotions just like she did every other time. Emotions are a weakness, one that she couldn't afford to have any longer. With that thought repeating through her mind, Hermione went to sleep.

When Hermione woke the next day, she found a steaming plate of breakfast and orange juice. As she was eating, a knock sounded on the door before in walked Bellatrix and Narcissa with a handful of books. At her questioning glance, the two sisters smiled and handed her the books.

"I remember that Draco said you loved reading, so I figured you would like to read some of our books that you wouldn't be able to find at Hogwarts. We are also taking you off the numbing potion due to it being quite addictive, so you will need more help doing things and should really stay in bed if you can stand it. I hope you don't mind if Bellatrix and I stay in here with you for a little while?"

Hermione was surprised to hear the nervous lilt in her voice, "Of course Mrs. Malfoy, after all, it is your house. Besides, I could use the company. Thank you again for taking such diligent care of my injuries and myself. Of course, I would never turn down books, especially ones that I haven't read before." With a smile the two women sat, Narcissa on the edge of Hermione's bed and Bellatrix in the armchair. She was surprised when Bellatrix turned sideways in the chair, throwing her legs over the armrest in a decidedly not ladylike manor, which made Narcissa responded with a sigh. Bellatrix threw Hermione a smirk, causing a slight blush to form before Hermione immediately started looking at the books in front of her, zeroing in on one about the dark arts. The sisters were surprised, but realized she did value knowledge and she wouldn't have been able to read about the subject at Hogwarts. She became absorbed with what she was reading, not even noticing the hours flying by until Narcissa lightly touched her hand, letting her know that lunch was here. Hermione was immediately embarrassed and started to apologize, only to be interrupted.

"Hermione, it's quite alright. I am the same way. Narcissa always has to fight to gain my attention once I get drawn into a book. Now then, let's eat, shall we?" With that, the three sat and ate quietly for a few minutes.

"So, Hermione, Draco said that you are the top student, correct?"

"Yes Mrs. Malfoy I am. Though, now that I have escaped from that bloody school, I'm not sure that I will be able to go back to Hogwarts, especially if my calculations are correct about my age. I was born a year earlier than I have been led to believe, and there is also the added age from my time-turner usage in my third year. I will turn 19 in a few months. If I claim my family name and the ministry finds out my actual age, I may not be allowed to return to Hogwarts after winter break, not Dumbledore would allow me to anyway." Hermione fought against the rise of emotions that came from thinking about not being able to finish her schooling. Steeling herself she rolled her shoulders and made eye contact with Bellatrix, just to see her staring at her with a puzzled look adorning her face.

"You mean to tell me your friends never said anything about your birthday? What little assholes. Oh, and the ministry has no real jurisdiction over Hogwarts and I'm sure that my lord would make it to where Dumbledore would have to let you back into the school. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to prove that you were here with us so he couldn't not allow you back in, besides, I'm sure he would much prefer you where he could watch you. You would just have to pretend that you were still under his spells and such, which shouldn't be too hard for you to do. Now, this time-turner usage you speak of. Is that why my nephew was so annoyed, saying you were everyone at once?" Bellatrix was staring intently at Hermione as she said this, wanting to make the younger witch feel better. She was rather impressed that she was given permission to use a time-turner, just to take extra classes. It showed just how much the witch valued knowledge.

Hermione just shrugged her shoulders, telling the two that it didn't really bother her to no one knew when her birthday was, it was just another day. She was however excited about possibly going back to Hogwarts and finishing her education. With that held firmly in her mind, she finished eating and then slowly got out of bed, almost crying out as the pain hit her. Hermione needed to use the restroom and didn't want any help doing it, that would be embarrassing. Unfortunately for her, Bellatrix did whatever she wanted so she grabbed Hermione and helped her to the bathroom, ignoring her huffiness about it. Bellatrix did notice Hermione seemed to lean into her body unconsciously. Once Hermione was finished doing her business, Bellatrix helped her back to bed, hiding a small smile the entire time.

This pattern went on for a week, the two sisters joining Hermione in her reading, eating with her, and helping her do whatever she needed to do. It wasn't always both sisters though, sometimes it was Narcissa, though most of the time it was Bellatrix. To Hermione's surprise, she loved the time that the sisters would come in and just sit with her and keep her company. It was more than what her old "friends" would do for her. They would just make fun of her because her head was so buried in a book, but the sisters would get just as entranced as she was. Hermione noticed that if it was just one sister coming to visit, it would be Bellatrix. Bellatrix also tended to sit closer to her than Narcissa and would make small innuendos that would have Hermione's face flaming red. Hermione didn't know what to do when this would happen, so she would just bury her face back into whatever book was in her hands.

After the week of reading with the sisters, Hermione was finally healed completely. No more pains, her magic level was fine, and she was released from her bed rest by the dour potions master and Narcissa, who was apparently an extremely skilled mediwitch. Before Hermione could celebrate her newfound freedom, the Dark Lord came to her, wishing to take a walk with her to discuss her plans now that she knew who she was.

"Ms. Fawley, I have the paperwork for you to fill out if you want to claim what is rightfully yours. No one will find out about it unless you wish for it to be released. You will gain wealth, properties, become a parselmouth, and the glamour that is on you will disappear. You will become who you were meant to be. Here are the papers on your family tree and all that you will own if you would like to look at it." Tom was very courteous to Hermione. He knew that she would be a key asset to his side if she was swayed and the fact that they were related did warm him slightly, especially knowing how powerful she is and would become. He grinned as Hermione took the papers from him as they walked, not even bothering to slow down as she started to read through them.

"Wait, so your grandfather knocked up Margaret Nott, who gave birth to a daughter who married a Fawley. Then their kid married a distant Nott cousin and had me? I'm surprised that there is only one incestuous relationship this close to me. It makes the choice easier I suppose. I would like to claim my family Tom. Where do I sign?" Hermione's face was the definition of determined. She was going to be making the decisions when it came to her life. No more manipulation, no more not being in control. This was her life and she wasn't going to allow anyone the satisfaction of fucking her over anymore. She was going to be Hermione Fawley, pureblood witch, cousin to the Dark Lord, and puppet of no one. Hermione took the quill that Tom handed her, immediately signing the papers in her hands. As soon as she finished her last letter, her body seized and a piercing wail reverberated through the path before Hermione collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Fuck. The sisters are going to be so pissed now."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last update! There has been a lot going on this summer and haven't been able to update. Also I'm sorry that this probably sucks a lot of ass. I'm out of practice and stuff.**

 _Fuck. What the hell happened? My head is pounding and my mouth feels like there's cotton in it._ Hermione slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the dim light within her room. Rubbing her temples lightly, she sat up, eyebrows shooting up at the sight of the sisters piled in an armchair, squished together. Deciding to be a bit mischievous, she grabbed her wand and sent what was supposed to be a small stream of water on the two sisters, but ending up being gallons of water shooting out of her wand.

"What the fuck! Oh, fuck it's so bloody cold!" With the corner of her lips turned down, Bellatrix's eyes swept across the room, landing on the shocked body sitting on the bed, causing her mouth to turn upwards.

"Well, well. Look who's finally awake! You've been out for the entire day Hermione. We were worried that something went wrong, though now we can be sure that it didn't. Your magic has increased exponentially and you look much more like your mother now." Narcissa was smiling at Hermione, drying herself and her sister all the while, not wanting to be in soaking clothes any longer than necessary. She was nervous about what Hermione's reaction to her new looks would be, what if she hated how she looked? With that thought, she approached Hermione, reaching out her hand.

"Ready to see how you look now? You can also try out your parselmouth afterward. The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you once you are ready."

With a nod, Hermione grabbed Narcissa's hand, swallowing hard she turned toward the mirror, eyes widening at her appearance. Her hair was no longer frizzy, instead wavy and a darker brown. Her eyes had darkened to almost black, her lips were fuller than before, her facial features became sharper, and her body filled out, fuller but still athletic.

"I'll be damned. I look…good, really good actually. I could get used to this." Hermione's mouth was set into a devilish smirk that was much more attractive now. With that, she strode out of her room, twirling her wand in her hand, setting off to find her dear cousin. Her strides were more confident than they had been in ages, her face alight as she stopped outside of Tom's re-purposed room. Before she raised her hand to knock, she heard Tom say to come in. Shaking her head, she walked in, smiling at him.

"Well, well. Hermione, you do look lovely and so much like your mother. How do you feel? Does anything feel off?"

"Hmm…no everything feels quite good. I did notice that my magic seems to be much stronger. I wanted to just send a small stream of water onto those two, but uh. It didn't work out like that. They were completely soaked. I feel like this is going to take some getting used to." Hermione wasn't too excited about learning to control her magic again. She remembered how difficult it was when she was younger, bouts of uncontrollable magic causing things to explode or levitate without her meaning to. Hopefully because she was older, she would be able to learn how to do it sooner and easier.

"My lord, I could teach her to control her magic and even train her. I remember having to learn to control my magic, what with me being the eldest Black, my magic was rather strong. I could also teach her how to defend herself once she has better control. Would that interest you Hermione?" Bellatrix was hoping that the young witch would agree to it. She wanted to get to know her better, and what better way to do that than with training. Teaching her to defend herself and how to do different spells would just make the two closer, she just knew it. Knowledge was something that Hermione craved, so how could she not get close to whomever was teaching her?

"I think I would like that quite a bit. After all, who can say that they were taught by one of the most prolific witches of the ages?" This last part was said with a cheeky grin, knowing that Bellatrix was quite prideful when it came to her skill level.

Bellatrix grinned in response, raking her eyes over Hermione's body, seeing the muscles that were already there and where they were lacking. She knew she would need to work on control first, but she figured that stamina would be a good place to start, working their way up to speed and strength. Bellatrix's eyes landed on Hermione's hips, eyes darkening as she imagined grasping them within her hands and holding the younger witch's body to her own.

Hermione noticed the darkening eyes, but dismissed it as Bellatrix being excited to train her to control her magic. She shot a smile towards the eldest Black sister, readily agreeing to be trained by her. Who would turn down the option to be trained by one of the most powerful witches of the ages? With her training being decided, Hermione allowed her eyes to trail over Bellatrix's body, noticing the muscle definition and strength that was packed in such a beautiful body. A light flush crept up her neck as she noticed her eyes lingering on Bellatrix's full hips and the pronounced cleavage that was straining against the corset that Bellatrix was so known for. Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she grinned at Tom, her excitement about her training palpable.

Tom dismissed the group, sending a small smile towards Hermione as he did. With her dismissal, Hermione said goodbye to the sisters and went to her room, intent on picking apart her reactions to the older sister. Once back inside of her room, Hermione laid back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, calling forth all her reactions to Bellatrix. She realized she blushed quite a bit around her, looked at various parts of her body and would linger there for longer than necessary, and even that she really, really enjoyed spending time with her. Enjoyed spending time with her more than she had ever enjoyed spending time with people ever. Hermione wasn't sure what this all meant, but she did realize it could hurt her in the long run, so she decided to do something that would be best for everyone…it was time to put distance between herself and the eldest Black sister. She would not make a fool out of herself and with not knowing how she was feeling, ignoring it seemed like the best course of action. With that being decided, Hermione grabbed a book on defensive spells, intent on trying to get a bigger basic knowledge so she wouldn't seem too inexperienced.

The next morning brought about her new plan of action. Hermione sent a small polite smile to Bellatrix before sitting next to Narcissa, asking her questions about the manor and how she was, intent on putting as much distance between herself and the dark sister as politely as she could. This continued through breakfast, only politely answering anything Bellatrix said and always being thorough with Narcissa. After breakfast came the next big hurdle, training was to begin. Swallowing hard, she went outside with Bellatrix, wand lightly grasped within her hand. Taking a deep breath, she faced Bellatrix, forcing her eyes to never stray lower than her mentor's nose. With that, the two began training, Bellatrix forcing Hermione to levitate objects over and over again, holding it for a certain amount of time, making it move across the yard but never too fast or too far. Bellatrix was an extremely patient teacher, always giving small words of encouragement when Hermione was getting frustrated or upset when her magic would burst forward or when she didn't use enough magic to do something. Hermione felt herself softening even more towards the most feared death eater as their training progressed through the day, but as soon as their training was over, with Hermione getting better towards the end, she went back to being distant, attaching herself to Narcissa directly afterward.

As the days passed, Hermione continued her training, mastering control over her magic and starting to learn how to protect herself better as Bellatrix pushed her to better herself. Hermione kept the distance between the two, no matter how hard it got with Bellatrix being sweet to her, touching her whenever it was possible, and just the fact that she was spending her time training Hermione made her want to stop, but she knew it would just cause too many issues, so she just worked as hard as she could during training. When she wasn't training, she was either with Narcissa or in her room reading, granted Narcissa was in her room with her half of the time as well. She felt a deep friendship with Narcissa, the two bonding over spell creation and their love of knowledge.

Bellatrix wasn't insane any longer, but she was still jealous of the time that her sister spent with Hermione, while she could only seem to spend any time with her while training. She wasn't going to give up though. Hermione was the first person that Bellatrix had really wanted in over twenty years and she wasn't going to let anything get in her way of being happy, not anymore. She knew that they had a connection and all she wanted was a chance to get to know the girl and get closer to her. Since she couldn't seem to be able to do that, she decided to just try and be subtle and be there when she finally changed her mind. With her plan in place, she continued to train Hermione, watching with pride as the younger witch met each challenge head on and never backed down, mastering everything that Bellatrix was teaching her, even if it took her a while to get it. With these thoughts, she went to the drawing room, smiling as she saw Hermione and Narcissa sitting and reading together. Sauntering into the room, internally grinning when Hermione's eyes wandered down to her hips before quickly looking back at her book, she grabbed herself a glass of fire whiskey and stretched herself out in the love seat that was directly beside Hermione, allowing her hand to brush against her shoulder lightly.

"You've been doing extremely well during your training. You really are the brightest witch of your age. Quite powerful too. One of the most powerful witches I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

Hermione blushed bright red, thanking Bellatrix and sending her a shy smile as she did so.

"Narcissa, didn't you say you wanted to go shopping today? I would love to join you if it was alright with you. Now that I have some money, I would like to go book shopping to grab a few things. Maybe even get myself a new familiar."

Narcissa agreed to take her, shooting a small smile towards Bellatrix to let her know everything would be okay before leading Hermione towards the floo network, intent on getting her out of the manor for just a little bit at least. She also wanted to get her a gift to welcome her into the family, something to let her know that they wanted her.

Before leaving, they applied a glamour to Hermione, making her look like her old self.

Once the glamour was applied, the two flooed out to the leaky cauldron, shooting one another smiles. Once there, the two immediately garnered looks, the pureblood Narcissa Malfoy with the one and only Hermione Granger.

"Perhaps we should have completely glamoured me? I don't like how everyone has their eyes on us like this."

With a nod, Narcissa grabbed Hermione and drug her to a nearby alley away from prying eyes and helped her apply another glamour, making her hair a light blond, her eyes blue, giving her an aristocratic nose and bone structure as well.

"There, now you look like a distant cousin or just a young pureblood witch that I have taken out to shop and teach the ways of the pureblood society."

Hermione laughed quietly before walking back out into Diagon Alley holding her head high and placing an arrogant smirk on her face. The two witches strode into Flourish and Blotts, heading immediately towards the dark arts section, eyes lighting up at a few rare books. The two browsed for a while before Narcissa told Hermione that she was going to run and grab something from a different shop, and for her to just wait there for her.

Narcissa walked out and headed toward Knockturn Alley, intent on going into Borgin and Burkes. She knew that there were a few pieces of jewelry that would signify the adoption of someone into a family. Knowing that Hermione had been lied to her entire life, she wanted her to know that her and her sister did consider her family and that they wanted her around. As she was browsing, she came across a necklace with a blank piece of metal hanging from it.

"What is this piece of jewelry? Does it do something?"

"Ah, Mrs. Malfoy. This piece of jewelry will combine two crests into a new one, signally the beginning of a new branch of family or even bringing someone into your fold. It will also serve as protection for the bearer so long as the person or persons presenting it truly care for the person. I actually have two more matching necklaces if they interest you as well?"

With a decisive nod, Narcissa quickly paid for the items and stowed them away within her cloak. Wanting to get back to Hermione, she hurried back to Flourish and Blotts. As soon as she stepped inside the store, she knew something was wrong, so she rushed towards the back where she left Hermione, eyes widening in fear when she saw the books on the ground and a few droplets of blood on the floor. Grabbing her wand, she turned and apparated back to the manor, bursting through the doors to Voldemort's room, where her sister and he were talking over a book.

"Hermione has been taken!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey lovelies! So sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I have been traveling and working and have not had the time to update. I promise I will update again this week, and am sorry that this chapter is a bit short. Also, there will be a trigger warning, which I sectioned off within the chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!

Hermione was browsing through the books in front of her before grabbing a book on animagus, intent on reading some of it to pass the time before Narcissa came back. As she thumbed through the book, she felt eyes boring into the side of her head. Hermione subtly slide her hand towards her wand, intent on sliding it up her sleeve, but before she could there was a hand over her mouth and her wand was flying towards a figure to her side. Before she could make out who it was, she was knocked unconscious.

With a soft groan, Hermione quietly took stock of her situation, bound and gagged, what felt like a black eye, a busted lip and no means of escape. Hermione started wiggling her arms and hands, trying to loosen the ropes while also trying to work the gag out of her mouth when she heard footsteps and murmuring coming towards her. Gritting her teeth, she continued to stealthily work the ropes looser on her wrists, holding back a pained whimper when the rope dug into her skin. Finally, the rope loosened slightly, just as the footsteps came into the room, causing Hermione's eyes to widen in shock.

"Well, well. Looky here Ron, she's finally awake. Tell me Hermione, why the fuck would you betray us, huh? Dumbledore told us you went running off and telling Voldemort about our plans and what we have been doing! How could you?! Actually, never mind, you can tell Dumbledore once he gets here. Ron, watch her, I'm going to contact the Headmaster and have him come collect this stupid bitch."

With a grin, Ron nods at Harry, turning towards Hermione as soon as he's out of the room. Taking the makeshift gag out of Hermione's mouth, Ron glares at her.

"So, you think you can just go and betray us huh? Well I have news for you, you have been promised to me since our first year. There is no way in hell I'm going to let some Deatheater scum take what is mine and sully you even more. What, you didn't think I was actually your friend did you? Please, I may not be rich but I'm still a pureblood. You're just a pathetic mudblood know-it-all. No one wants you, no one missed you. You're a pathetic excuse for a witch, and now, I'm going to show you just how worthless you are!"

Trigger warning!

With that, Ron cast silencio before whipping his hand across Hermione's face. After that he reared back and punched her in the mouth, laughing at the blood she spit out. With a maniacal laugh, he started to unbutton his pants, "You're gunna be a good little bitch and suck me off before I show you just where your place is, underneath me." Ron stepped closer to Hermione, pulling his cock out and pushing it towards Hermione's face.

Hermione immediately spit at Ron before trying to rock her chair backwards, hoping to get out. Ron's face turned a dark red before he grasped Hermione's legs, forcing them further apart and reached for her pants but was stopped by a wandless and wordless expelliarmus.

End Trigger!

Hermione followed up with a stupefy towards him, knocking Ron off of his feet and into the wall. With Ron's wand in hand, she accio'd her own wand, cut off the robes that bound her, and snapped Ron's wand in half before apparating back to the Malfoy mansion, the one place she felt safe at.

A small pop was the only warning that the residents of Malfoy Manor received before Hermione came rushing in, tears and blood dripping down her face. Upon seeing Bellatrix's worried face, Hermione threw herself into her, dissolving into sobs that wracked her entire body. Bellatrix immediately wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl, running her hands along her hair trying to calm her down. Upon noticing the looks they were garnering from the others, Bellatrix hoisted Hermione up and strode to her own chambers, holding her close to her body as she settled on her plush bed. Narcissa was right behind the two and brought up a calming draught while she laid on the other side of Hermione, quietly healing the wounds along her face, anger contorting her face as she came across the bruises along her thighs and wrists. With a soft growl, Narcissa finished healing her and set out to clean her up as best as she could without removing her from her eldest sister's arms. She couldn't help but smile as her eyes fell upon her sister being so protective and calm over the younger witch. Narcissa knew that Bellatrix was attached to Hermione, but she was still shocked to see that she brought Hermione to her own personal room.

The two sisters continued to comfort Hermione until she was able to tell them what had happened. Hermione had never seen as much rage one two people's faces in her entire life. Bellatrix's eyes darkened in anger, turning into molten pits of blackness while Narcissa's jaw was clenched tight enough that it looked as if it was spring out. Hermione hid her face in Bellatrix's neck after recounting everything, pushing herself closer into her, ignoring the heat that her body put off. The young witch reached out and grasped Narcissa's hand, entwining their fingers together.

"Narcissa, I don't blame you. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. Please don't sit there and blame yourself any longer, I can practically feel the guilt rolling off of you in waves."

With that, the trio laid there in silence, allowing Hermione the time to come to terms with everything that happened and giving the sisters enough time to calm down more, so as not to scare Hermione.

"I want more training. Training in areas that we haven't worked on as much, such as more potions, defensive spells, curses, perhaps me becoming an Animagus even. I want to be completely ready for whatever else is to come my way. If Dumbledore is trying to sway me to the "light" side, I want to make sure that he can no longer manipulate me." Hermione's eyes darkened as she stared up into Bellatrix's, wanting her point to get across. With Bellatrix's nod, she laid her head back down on the older witch's chest and closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent that clung to Bellatrix. Narcissa smiled and pulled the duvet up over all three of them and flicked the lights out allowing all of them to fall asleep for the night, knowing that they would need the rest for the next few days.


	5. Chapter 5

*******I'm sure all of you are sick and tired of my excuses for not updating regularly but I have been swamped with getting back into the swing of things for school and have had some pretty blah days where all I want to do is smoke a cigarette and play Skyrim. I'm going to try and start scheduling my updates in my planner so I won't have anymore excuses. I appreciate all of you who have been so patient and supportive, it means the world to me!********

The next day, Hermione was awake before the two Black sisters, a blush staining her face as she took in her position. She was sandwiched between the two, her head tucked under Bellatrix's chin, her hands lightly grasping at her night dress that the witch had changed into once she was sure Hermione was asleep. Hermione also felt Narcissa's arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close to her body, giving off a very comforting weight. After lying there for a few moments, she debated on how to extract herself from her position without waking the other occupants of the bed. As soon as she was about to try and maneuver herself, Bellatrix stirred, pulling Hermione closer before slowly blinking her eyes open. Once she noticed Hermione's blood red face, she took in their position, internally cheering at the closeness.

"Hermione, it's alright. You were upset last night and needed some human contact that was comforting. My sister and I just wanted to make sure you didn't have a bad nights rest. It was a good thing we were in here actually. At one point during the night, you started to sleep rather fitfully, but Cissy and I were able to calm you down without you waking up."

Hermione shyly nodded before climbing out of the bed, sending a small smile towards the two before realizing she wasn't in her room. Instead, there was a gorgeous, black framed mirror, a black and silver bookshelf lined with prestine books, and even a writing desk with more books and parchment. Hermione then took in the canopy bed that was covered in silver, silk sheets. Without even asking, she knew the room belonged to Bellatrix. The room just radiated the beauty and subtle darkness that was Bellatrix. With that thought firmly in her mind, she quickly murmured that she was going to take a bath and get ready for her training to begin.

Training for the younger witch started immediately after her bath with Bellatrix teaching her more offensive spells and how to better defend herself, while Narcissa taught her the art of healing her wounds. After an extremely taxing training session, Hermione took to reading a book on the Dark Arts, working her way through the old book before gasping, tossing the book to the side, and taking off towards Voldemort's study.

"Get out of my bloody way Wormtail! I swear I will curse your bullocks off if you don't get the fuck out of my way!"

Voldemort immediately came out, glaring at Wormtail telling him that the next time he tried to keep his cousin out, he would feed him to Nagini. Ushering Hermione inside, he sat opposite her, a deep look of concentration on his face, but before he could ask, his cousin spoke.

"Tom, I just now remembered something while I was reading "Dark Arts for the Proficient". It seems that someone had tampered with my memory and altered part of it, not allowing me to tell you this until the book sparked my memory or somehow cracked the spell on my mind. Dumbledore knows about your horcruxes. He was sending the dunderheads and me to try and find them all. Your diary and the ring are destroyed. He knows about the locket as well and suspects that there may be one or two more, but I'm not positive if he actually knows or not because I was always left out of most of these discussions."

Tom was livid, his jaw clenched, his eyes pitch black, and his entire body trembling. He immediately turned his wand upon the opposite wall and destroyed it with an outburst of magic, his face turning into a snarl before he rolled his sleeve up and pressed his wand onto his dark mark. Within seconds there were three popping noises, signifying the arrival of Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Severus Snape.

"You three are to up her training effective immediately. I know you three will want to know why, so we are all taking an unbreakable vow, with Hermione getting bound first."

With them all unable to say anything, the Dark Lord told them of his horcruxes, the locket, the diadem, the cup, and Nagini. Now that all of them were in the know, they decided to come together and discuss what else they would be teaching Hermione, while Hermione gazed at Severus, unsure as to whether she should trust him or not. She had always looked up to Snape's intelligence but she knew that he more than likely just thought of her as a know-it-all little swot, like everyone else viewed her as. Hermione decided to go ahead and leave her new teachers to their discussion and figured it would be as good a time as ever to go and pull more books from the expansive library. Before she could completely leave, Snape called out to her.

"Ms. Fawley, I was wondering if I could have a word with you? It won't take long."

With Hermione's agreement, the two walked towards the library together, finding a comfortable and secluded space within it's massive walls.

"I know you don't trust me, but I am loyal to the Dark Lord. Dumbledore has pushed me far too much these past few years. I had to torture someone and he laughed and said that I needed to get over it, that is was apart of the price I had to pay. Then there is his allowing children to do his dirty work, which is something I cannot support. Of course his treatment of you is something I couldn't stand either. I know you're highly intelligent and the only reason that those two blithering idiots have managed to do anything correctly. Now that I don't have to put up a farce, I want to apologize for the things I have had to say, I have always valued your intelligence and it would be nice to be able to talk with someone who shares the same interests as I do. Of course, this conversation doesn't leave us or one of us is going to have to die."

Hermione's eyes teared up slightly before her face turned into an enormous grin. She had always wanted his respect, just like she had always wanted McGonagall's. Now to know that she had it, well, it made her quite happy. After telling Snape that she would love to talk with him, the two grabbed a few books and read there, occasionally asking the other's opinion. The two didn't notice the hours slip by until Narcissa came in and told the both of them that they should head to bed. After all, the first day of the new training would be starting. The two walked to their respective bedrooms, oblivious to the eyes following them.

The next started with lessons with Narcissa, learning different spells for healing as well as different plants that can be used to treat wounds by themselves, followed by Snape teaching Hermione certain potions and the best way to prepare the ingredients. By the time Hermione got to Bellatrix, she was quite tired, but for reasons that she couldn't understand, she wanted to prove that she was a capable witch and could handle anything that she threw at her. To her surprise, Bellatrix wanted to duel with her, so she could test her abilities. Swallowing her nerves, Hermione and Bellatrix bowed, as was tradition, and immediately set off into throwing spells at one another. Bellatrix had deadly accuracy, but Hermione was rather quick and nimble-footed, so she dodged and repelled spells left and right, sending in her own offensive spells whenever she noticed an opening. The two went at it for a few minutes before Bellatrix managed to nail Hermione with an expelliarmus and stupefy.

The two gals kept dueling until Hermione could barely lift her wand. Bellatrix cleaned the two of them up, telling Hermione she did wonderfully and that tomorrow the two would be learning more spells that she could use. Once the two were inside the manor, Severus walked up to the two and handed Hermione a cup of tea, telling her it had a small dose of a healing potion that would help her magic regenerate faster so she wouldn't be as tired the next morning. The small dose being so she wouldn't be dependent on it. Hermione felt Bellatrix's eyes on her but decided to not question it at the moment, telling Bellatrix to have a good night and walking next to the potions professor, asking a few questions about a few things that they had gone over together, leaving Bellatrix staring after the two, jealousy roaring in her mind.

Narcissa grabbed Bellatrix and drug her into the drawing room, silencing the room so that Bellatrix would be able to throw her normal tantrum. To Narcissa's surprise, Bellatrix just paced the room, her magic crackling around her.

"I don't understand why she would prefer to be around Severus! I know she feels the connection with me, I can see it in her eyes and even her actions. Her eyes never leave my body when we're together and I can practically feel her pulse quicken. I just…I don't under Cissy." With that, Bellatrix threw herself down next to her sister, a petulant frown on her face. Before Narcissa could get a word out, Voldemort strode into the room.

"Bella, how is my cousin faring? I know the whole incident has probably shaken her up and everything. I want to make sure that they will never be able to pull that kind of disgusting shit on her again."

Bellatrix was shocked at the amount of anger there was in her lord's voice. She knew he cared for Hermione, but didn't realize how deep that affection went. She let him know that she was quite good at compartmentalizing her feelings and was very focused on her training. Without meaning to, she allowed some of her pouting to come through her voice when telling him that Hermione was keen to spend time with Severus.

"Ah, Bella dear. Don't be jealous. My dear cousin has never really been attracted to someone before and has no idea how to handle her feelings about you. Give her time and don't give up on her. Besides, from what I saw this morning, it seems like you're worming your way into her heart one way or another. Oh, and Bellatrix? Don't hurt her. If you don't plan on sticking it out with her, then I want you to stay away from her besides training, are we clear?"

Bellatrix immediately snarled, "I don't plan on hurting her. I haven't felt this free and sane since before my fucking Azkaban sentence!" Shaking her head, Bellatrix dropped to her knees. She knew she would be in trouble for an outburst like that. But to her surprise, Voldemort chuckled and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Bellatrix my friend, you are my best lieutenant, the one person I trust, the one person I think deserves my dear cousin. I just needed to make sure. You will be good for one another. Just don't fuck it up, alright? Just keep doing what you're doing." With that, he left, leaving Bellatrix with her thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione trained every day, working hard to gain mastery over new spells and learning to control her magic. With her training, she was growing closer and closer with the Black sisters and even Severus. With her newfound closeness to Bellatrix, she could find herself reading late at night in the Malfoy library with Bellatrix next to her, sides pressed against one another or their legs brushing against the others. On one particular night, the two were reading books on becoming an animagus, Bellatrix wanting to make sure that Hermione would have no issues with her transformation. While reading, Hermione looked up at Bellatrix, wanting to comment on something that she had read about the dangers of the transformation, only to stop abruptly, eyes locked on Bellatrix's face. Her face was illuminated by the soft lighting, softening her face, causing the younger witch's heart to start pounding. Feeling eyes on her, Bellatrix turned to look at Hermione, swallowing at the hungry look directed at her. The two witches made eye contact and slowly started to lean into one another when a loud bang startled the two apart.

"Uh, I um need to go to bed. I'm getting really tired and want to be well rested for training tomorrow. Goodnight!" Hermione bolted from the library, heart in her throat and her stomach filled with small dragons. Throwing herself into her room, she immediately locked and silenced her room, wanting to make sure no one would try to come inside whilst she paced and more than likely screamed. Her head was swimming with the almost kiss, her nerves shot. She didn't know how it had come to this; she wasn't the type of person to just randomly kiss someone! Being attracted to women had never even crossed her mind, let alone with someone who was twice her age and the right hand lady of her own cousin. While thinking of the cons, Hermione's mind started to drift towards how beautiful and caring the older witch was towards her and how she knew that Bellatrix's lips would probably be the softest things she had ever touched. Shaking her head, she threw her clothes off, striding into the bathroom, intent on relaxing in a hot bath to try and get the dark witch out of her head.

While Hermione was panicking, Bellatrix was smirking inside of her room, reclining back onto her bed. She knew that Hermione wanted her, she had seen how dark her eyes had gotten, how out of breath. She was so close to having Hermione, she wasn't going to give up. She knew that the younger witch would more than likely try and push her away, but she wasn't going to allow it to happen this time. She would do her best to keep pushing but not scare her away. With a few ideas bouncing around in her mind, she smirked and closed her eyes, allowing herself a few minutes of rest after the long day of training and reigning herself in around Hermione. She allowed her mind to drift, imagining how sweet it will be when she finally gets the young witch to be hers.

In the bathroom, Hermione is neck deep within the hot bath, allowing the water to wash over her body while she tries to make sense of the feelings that were welling up inside of her. The warmth that settled in her stomach when she saw Bellatrix watching her or whenever she touched her, the flush on her face when the two almost kissed, the fire between her legs after waking to a dream about the two entwined together. She didn't understand how she could be feeling this way about someone, especially a woman who was twice her age. Lingering on the thoughts of Bellatrix, Hermione felt her body heating up, her nipples hardening and her breathing becoming more labored while her hand unconsciously stroked along her stomach, nails lightly scratching and digging in every few seconds. Her hand jerked away from her body once she realized what she was doing, her face scrunching up and reddening, her frustration making itself known. With a sigh, she washed and shaved her body thoroughly, annoyed at how sensitive her skin seemed to be. Shaking her head, she dried herself off and threw herself on her bed, not bothering with clothes. She knew that she would have to put a stop to the feelings that she held for Bellatrix, but she wasn't sure how to. The two had become rather close and she knew that the two would have to be near one another every day. Allowing her mind to run, she decided that she would just try not to be alone with her except for training, knowing that she shouldn't be as obvious as she was before. With that plan in mind, Hermione pulled the covers around her, settling in for the night.

The next morning brought about Hermione's new plan. She went to her trainings, gathering her wits, trying to compartmentalize her feelings, intent on just getting through this training so she could read in her room without worrying about anything else. Breathing in deeply, she met Bellatrix in the gardens, smiling politely at her as she walked up.

"Today, we will be dueling again. I want to see just how much you've learned about fighting and see what areas we still need to work on. Wands up!" Bellatrix is smirking as she says this, knowing that Hermione always takes well to a challenge.

Hermione grinned, her inner darkness welling up at the thought of dueling with the older witch. She had always loved dueling, even though the Order never really trained them. They were supposed to learn on their own , so the ability to duel with a master of magic was something that would always excite Hermione. Drawing her wand up, the two bowed to one another before immediately shooting spells out. Hermione was intent on beating Bellatrix this time. Deciding to play with her a bit, Hermione shot a wave of water towards Bellatrix, soaking her to the bone, then casting a freezing charm on the bottoms of her feet, icing the ground underneath her, causing her opponent to slip lightly. Hermione immediately took off, wanting to trip Bellatrix up and see if she could disarm her by being less predictable, allowing her instincts to take over. Hermione didn't realize that her eyes turned pitch black and that her magic was crackling along her skin, her excitement coming forth.

Bellatrix was surprised that the younger witch was already doing exponentially better. Casting the spells off of her and drying herself off, Bellatrix took off after the young witch, firing a few spells at her, gleefully laughing as they were immediately throw off. The two witches looked as if they were in a dance, firing spells after spells at one another, their excitement showing in their laughter that would bubble up and echo around the garden. With an extremely accurate spell, Bellatrix knocked Hermione off balance and struck, rushing her to try and catch her off guard, to which Bellatrix managed to tackle Hermione. The two witches fought for the top, trying to get the upper hand, only ending when Bellatrix managed to pin Hermione's wrists above her head, knocking her wand out of her hand. As she celebrated her win over the younger witch, her face splitting in half with the grin on her face, she looked down and made eye contact with Hermione, inhaling sharply at the darkening of her eyes. Taking a look at how the two were positioned, she could feel the heat between her legs pressing against Hermione's, her thighs locked around her hips and her face inches from the younger witch's. Looking into one another's eyes, the two started to lean in towards one another. Hermione's eyes dropped down to the older witch's lips, flaring her nostrils at the softness that they exuded.

"What the bloody hell happened to my fucking garden? Bellatrix Black! You had better fix this wreckage!"

The two jumped apart at Narcissa's shrieking, looking around at the garden and wincing at the destruction that the two had caused. Hermione was glad, yet worryingly disappointed that the two were interrupted yet again. Shaking it off, she immediately set out to help Bellatrix fix the garden. She knew better than to get on Narcissa's bad side or face her wrath. Hermione had seen just what could happen if something got on Narcissa's bad side, she was pretty sure that there was still an imprint in a tree next to the garden from the youngest Black sister throwing someone for destroying some of her flowers. Hermione definitely did not want to face the end of her wand anytime soon. With Bellatrix's help, the cleaning up of the garden sped along rather nicely, allowing Bellatrix to congratulate Hermione on how far along she had come in her training and how soon she would be on par with herself, and maybe eventually better than her. This was said with a wink sent towards the young witch as well as a smirk, almost as if she knew exactly what Hermione was thinking, which Hermione knew couldn't be the case. Unbeknown to her, Bellatrix was a master of reading body language and could tell just what was running through the young witch's mind for the most part, which allowed her to know that her affections were not unwanted, just that Hermione wasn't sure how to deal with the newness of everything.

With the garden being cleaned back up, Hermione tried to start off towards her room, only to be held back by Bellatrix, who wanted to talk to her about her plans since Hogwarts was going to start back up again. She only had a week or so until class was back in session. Bellatrix knew that Hermione really wanted to go back and continue to learn and she knew that going back could probably end up helping their cause. After all, who didn't love the Golden Girl, the Gryffindor Princess? She could bring plenty of other students over to their side, which would also help save plenty of young lives. Bellatrix knew that was one of Voldemort's biggest fears. He really didn't want to waste magical potential, especially that of children who did not know the truth about either side and so couldn't choose which side they truly want to belong to.

"Hermione, what exactly are you going to do once you get back to Hogwarts? Don't think that I haven't noticed you avoiding Draco like he has the dragon pox. He could be a good friend to you if you allowed him. The little dragon isn't nearly as bad as he seems, especially now that Narcissa is the only one raising him. Lucy didn't exactly do a great job as a father, and he was a shit role model for my nephew. You should give him a chance at least. If the two of you are at least comfortable with one another it means you won't have to watch your back completely by yourself. He could help you be safe, Hermione. At least think about it, alright?"

Hermione knew that Bellatrix was right about Draco, he did seem to try and talk to her, but she never gave him the chance, always turning and walking the opposite direction. It had to hurt his feelings and she did hate upsetting people. Hermione decided that she would give Draco a chance and see if he really did change without Lucius controlling him. She also wasn't sure what she was going to do once she got back to Hogwarts. She knew that she couldn't go back to fighting for the Order and she definitely couldn't allow them to put her back under their spell. Biting her lip, she decided that the best course of action would be to help her cousin in any way possible. The boys and the Order may have thought that no one liked Hermione due to her being a know-it-all, but what they didn't know was how many people from each house she helped with their assignments. She tutored everyone from first year up to seventh, from any house. People actually adored her, but she had wanted it to be on the down low so that she wouldn't be bothered constantly by people. With her decision made, she voiced her thoughts to Bellatrix, who couldn't contain her excitement and scooped Hermione up into a hug, squeezing her tightly against her body, chuckling softly at Hermione's sharp inhale. Due to Hermione's decision, Bellatrix decided that she would go tell Voldemort what Hermione would be doing, while Hermione went to bed early, intent on waking up the next day to talk with Draco.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come in Bella."

Bellatrix shook her head at her lord's impatience as she strode into his study.

"My lord, Hermione has told me that she has decided to do all that she can to support you. Apparently, your cousin is much more popular than she lets on. She is also going to try and give my nephew a chance and perhaps gain a wonderful friend if the two don't murder one another."

Voldemort's face split into a grin, his excitement was palpable. He knew that Hermione would be able to sway many more people to their side and because she would side with him, he could protect her much better than if she had chosen to do nothing or even gone back to the Order. He knew that he would have to send her out on a raid soon to prove to the others in the house that she was loyal. He had kept most of them away from her up until now, but he knew they would become even more restless until she had proof that she was loyal to the cause. He knew that the Lestrange brothers' lock up had caused some tension within his ranks, but once they saw how powerful Hermione was and once they learned that they were related she should garner enough respect that it shouldn't be a problem. There was also the matter of the Lestranges' punishment.

"Right, well this is wonderful news Bellatrix! She will need to complete a raid before she leaves to go back to school. I want everyone to realize how powerful she is and that she deserves her spot within our ranks. You know that I've kept everyone busy so that they can't cause a scene with her just yet. After a raid and them finding out that she's my cousin they should want to get to know her and there will hopefully be no more issues between my dear cousin and our fellow death eaters. Make sure you she is ready for a raid within the next few days Bella. I would be extremely upset if something were to happen to her, you understand?"

Bellatrix's face twisted, affronted that he would even suggest that anything would happen to Hermione whilst she was with her. Besides, Bellatrix saw how strong she was becoming and knew that she would enjoy being able to actually use her new spells and go all out on an opponent. With their talk over with, Bellatrix sought out Hermione to tell her the news, when she quickly ducked behind a corner. There before her was Hermione and Draco, talking civilly with one another. She quietly watched the two, smiling softly at how unsure the both of them were, but how the two seemed to be talking things out. Bellatrix decided that she should give them their space and head back to her room until she later when she would pull Hermione aside.

"Draco, Bellatrix has convinced me to allow you to talk to me. I know I have been rather rude by…well avoiding you, but I wasn't ready to talk with you just yet. I hope you can understand that."

"Hermione, it's completely understandable that you were hesitant to speak with me. I'm not offended or anything of the sort. I'm just glad my aunty was able to convince you to try. I was planning on much more time to be able to talk to you. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. I was trying to constantly make my father proud of me by talking down to you. He was always so angry that a muggleborn was making better grades than his son and so he wanted me to try and make your life hell. I can't believe I tried to make him proud. He was a piece of garbage. He was awful to my mother and I. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for the way I treated you. I can only hope that we can maybe be friends one day."

Hermione could see how sincere Draco was being, and while she didn't mention it, she could see his eyes watering slightly. Instead, Hermione sent him a soft smile and grabbed his hand, telling him she forgave him and that she would like to move forward and try to become friends. She knew that the two would need one someone they could trust in the months coming. Hermione could tell that Draco didn't expect this but was grateful for it anyway. With that, the two headed towards the library together, intent on using the one thing they knew that had in common to try and get closer. Learning. The two spent a few hours together in the library, discussing different subjects and learning one another's viewpoints on each subject. The duo would have spent longer had Bellatrix not become impatient and found them.

"There you are Hermione! Oh, hello Draco. I see the two of you have been spending time with one another? Good. Because my lord wishes for Hermione to take part in a raid within the week. Draco, you know she needs to make an impression on the others and this will show them that she is loyal to us. Hermione, don't worry, you're ready for a raid. Hell, you're better than quite a few of the other death eaters."

Hermione had a hesitant smile on her face, "But will I have to kill anyone? I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet. I know an array of spells, but taking someone's life is…well it's a lot."

Bellatrix walked up to her and grabbed her hands, stroking her knuckles with her thumbs, "You won't have to kill anyone unless you feel like you need to. Eventually you will have to, but for now this is just showing the others that you are loyal to us and will also show them that you aren't some weakling. You can hold your own and won't take shit from any of them, alright?"

Hermione nodded, still a bit apprehensive but knowing that Bellatrix was right. She knew that the others had been kept from her until now so that they wouldn't attack her or anything. She knew she had to show everyone that she was one of them. With that decided, she squeezed Bellatrix's hands lightly and then told the two that she wanted to go on the next raid. When Bellatrix told her it would be the next day, she stood up and told them she was going to bed early so she would be well rested for said raid. With that, she strode out of the library, twirling her wand in her fingers, a habit she had picked up from Bellatrix, and headed to bed.

The next morning, Hermione awoke to Bellatrix gently shaking her, a platter of toast and juice next to her bed.

"I know you're probably nervous but you need to keep it bottled up and not show any weakness once you leave this room. You also need to eat some of the toast. I know you probably don't feel hungry but trust me, you'll need the food to settle your stomach. I will wait with you in here alright?"

Hermione was extremely thankful for Bellatrix's calming presence. She hated to admit it, but she truly did calm her down and settle her nerves. Hermione felt so vulnerable around the older witch, something she really wasn't used to. Taking a deep breath, she nibbled on her toast, looking at Bellatrix through her eyelashes. The two made small talk, including Draco when he arrived. With a nod, Bellatrix gathered them up, getting them ready to leave for the raid.

"Well you guys, this will be a test for our two newest recruits and if they do well, they will be getting their marks and their masks decorated, as is tradition. You won't need to kill unless it comes down to it Hermione and Draco. This is more about seeing just how well you do under pressure and how well you listen. Are we ready? We are going to go and pay an old friend a visit. He seems to think that he can abandon us and suffer no consequences. We are going to make sure he and everyone else knows that one doesn't fuck around with the dark lord."

Bellatrix grasped Hermione's hand, apparating them to their location while Lucius took Draco. They all looked rather intimidating with their masks and robes on, Draco and Hermione's being plain silver. Hermione and Bellatrix slowly crept towards the building in front of them, Hermione stopping them once she felt the wards in front of her. She carefully went through the wards, making sure not to alert those inside as she dismantled the protections. With a grin, Hermione signaled to everyone that it was clear and with that, her and Bellatrix stormed inside, wands drawn and spells flying out of their mouth. Not only was their target present, but some of the other traitors from their side resided within the house. With a malicious grin under her mask, Hermione started to duel with their number one target, exchanging hexes and other spells with him. She watched her opponent, looking for any weaknesses, not even noticing that her magic was crackling along her skin, shooting out towards her opposition randomly. She finally saw an opening and immediately seized it, firing spell after spell before disarming him and wrapping an incarcerous around him, not letting him escape. With a grin, she turned and saw that everyone else was either dead or in a similar state to her captive. Hermione's pulse was still racing and she could feel the wetness between her legs, lust rushing through her veins. These reactions caused some confusion for the young witch, but it was something she kind of liked the feeling of. Unbeknown to her, Bellatrix had been watching for this in her, a wide grin on her face as she realized that Hermione was susceptible to blood lust. She wouldn't make a huge move on the young witch, even though the predator in herself begged her to pounce and take advantage of her blood lust. She just couldn't do that to her. Bellatrix wanted Hermione to come to her of her own free will. Shaking her curls, she motioned for everyone to gather up with their captives, stifling a grin as she felt Hermione sidle up to her, pressing their bodies closely together.

Once they arrived, Bellatrix lead the group further into the manor, ordering some of the other death eaters to lock up their captives while they reported to the dark lord. She had her arm wrapped around Hermione's shoulders, congratulating her and Draco on their jobs well done. Voldemort grinned at the group, also congratulating Hermione and Draco on their prowess. The two had both killed one of the traitors and both had captured one as well. With that, Hermione and Draco both dropped to one knee and bowed their heads to Voldemort, pledging themselves to the cause and to him. Voldemort patted both of them on the head then had them outstretch their arms and brought his wand out, warning them that it would hurt but the hurt would be replaced with another feeling within moments. With that, the two took his mark, grunting in pain at first but then clenching their teeth as euphoria swept through their bodies. Hermione was nearly panting in want now, her blood lust and the euphoria from the mark creating a heady combination. Voldemort nodded at both of them and told them that the others would carve into their masks later and that they were free to do as they please until then.

Hermione strode quickly towards her quarters, intent on doing something about the warmth between her legs. Before she made it to her room, Bellatrix stopped her, wanting to congratulate her again and to see if she wanted to do some reading in the library until the mask ceremony. The young witch was slightly put out about not being able to go back to her room, but also relished the thought of having someone to read with. Nodding, Hermione followed Bellatrix to the library, her eyes glued to the curve of Bellatrix's ass. Bellatrix smirked and put an extra bit of sway in her hips as she walked, internally celebrating Hermione's gawking. Once the two settled in the library, Hermione scooted slightly closer to Bellatrix, their hips touching one another as they read. The young witch could tell that the heat within her body wasn't dying out anytime soon, made very obvious by her squirming around in her spot.

"You alright over there? You are acting as if you have pixies in your pants!" Bellatrix had a soft grin on her face as she looked at Hermione, one that Hermione hadn't seen very much of. That look on her face destroyed what little control she had. Hermione reached out and cupped Bellatrix's jaw, swiping her thumb along her jawline before she pulled her closer and pressed her lips into hers, moaning softly at the first touch. Bellatrix immediately grasped Hermione's sides, pulling her closer to her and pressing her mouth harder against hers. Hermione nipped at Bellatrix's mouth, allowing her instincts to guide her as she swung her leg over the older witch's lap and straddled her. Her fingers tangled themselves in the black curls, tugging lightly as she bit on her lip again before soothing it with her tongue. Bellatrix groaned and switched their position so that she was laying between Hermione's legs, pressing their hips together and tightening her grip on her, kissing down her neck. With a grunt of effort, Bellatrix pulled back, staring down at the beautiful witch underneath her. She already looked wrecked, swollen lips, mused up hair, and a few small bites along her pale neck.

"Hermione…we have to stop. You would regret it and it's only the blood lust talking. I don't want to take advantage of you. I…I care for you deeply and want to make sure this is something you truly want. Please don't think I don't want you, because I do, badly. Please forgive me."

Hermione was hurt at first, but quickly realized that Bellatrix was right, at least on some parts of it. She knew now that she did have feelings for the older witch, that was obvious with the way she just attacked her. Even with the blood lust, she only thought about Bellatrix, not anyone else in the manor. With that, she relayed to Bellatrix that she was glad she stopped them and that she did feel something for the older witch but was definitely not ready to sleep with her. Bellatrix just smiled at her and nodded, placing a soft kiss on what was supposed to be her cheek but Hermione turned at the last moment, causing them to kiss once more. With that, the two curled into one another, intent on just relaxing until the mask ceremony.

The mask carving was interesting to say the least. Draco, Voldemort, and Narcissa both saw the hickies on Hermione's neck and grinned at Bellatrix, especially with how close the two were standing. Once the masks were completed, everyone ate. Bellatrix and Hermione sat next to one another and ate quietly, Hermione still feeling rather randy from earlier and Bellatrix feeling the same. As soon as it was polite, Hermione excused herself to her room, immediately warding and silencing it. She quickly shed her clothing, groaning in delight as the cool air hit her overheated skin. Laying herself down on her bed, she started running her hands along her body, dragging her nails across her chest and thighs with one hand, the other tweaking her nipples. Her thoughts were overtaken by Bellatrix, imagining that her hands were the ones on her body. Hermione tugged at her nipples, groaning Bellatrix's named quietly before sliding her hand between her legs, hips bucking at the first touch. She bit her lip and circled her clit quickly, her breath coming in soft pants as she imagined Bellatrix going down on her, running her tongue along her wetness. Her hips started to twitch as she continued to circle her clit before sliding two fingers inside of herself, pumping them in and out and curling them just right to hit that one spot that made her see stars every time. With a long, drawn out moan of Bellatrix's name, Hermione came, her body tensing then relaxing into the bed, her body melting. With a grin she wiped her hand clean on the bed sheet and cast a few cleansing spells before settling down and falling into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Before Hermione knew it, it was almost time to go back to Hogwarts. She was rather nervous about it, not wanting to be away from Bellatrix and the feeling of safety that came from the people within the manor. Snape told her the night before that he struck a deal with Dumbledore to allow her to come back and that she will be moved into Slytherin, even though Dumbledore argued against it. Hermione was never more grateful to the dour potions master. She didn't think she could handle being surrounded by the dunderheads that plagued Gryffindor, specifically Harry and Ron, though she would miss Ginny quite a bit. The two girls had gotten rather close the past few years, what with Hermione never treating Ginny like she was a child and Ginny not being stuck up the Golden Boy's ass. Maybe…maybe she could sway Ginny over to her side. It shouldn't be that hard, what with her anger towards her family and Harry. She never agreed with how they seemed to worship Harry and was rather disgusted that they thought she still had feelings for him. A small school girl crush from before had morphed into distaste. Hermione could sway her, she just needed permission from her dear cousin. With her decision made, she quickly strode towards her cousin's study, snarling at Wormtail as she passed him.

"Come in Hermione and do play nice with the rodent. He has his uses occasionally."

With a chuckle, Hermione swept into the room, "Cousin, I wanted to talk with you about what I would be doing whilst back in Hogwarts. I was wondering if I could try and sway some of the students, particularly Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley. Ginny is nothing like Ronald. She is very proficient in her magic and was always very good at the darker magics that we learned. Luna is one of a kind. She sees things that others don't, and I do believe she might have a bit of seer blood in her. I believe that the two of them could be great assets to you and could possibly even allow for us to have spies that are closer to the dunderheads."

Voldemort was overjoyed at Hermione's initiative. He knew that his cousin would help him create a better world for everyone with magical blood. They would bring about a new era, a golden era. With a grin, he thanked Hermione and tasked her with bringing over anyone who she thought would be an asset to their cause, promising her that she would be able to take her revenge on those who had wronged her for so many years. He knew that she would be the tipping point in this war.

After the two discussed possible candidates, Hermione was dismissed. She was intent on spending what little time she had left with Bellatrix, just wanting to be in her presence for as long as possible. Hermione figured she would be in the library, so she headed towards there, a shy grin falling on her face when she took in the beautiful picture of Bellatrix reading a rather thick book on magical creatures, her long legs stretched out on the table, a carefree expression on her face. Walking towards her, Hermione pressed her side against the older witch, her hand lightly tracing the pale wrist next to her, humming softly as she felt Bellatrix's pulse jump for a short second. Feeling bold, the young witch tucked her head underneath Bellatrix's chin while she wrapped her arm around her waist. For the first time in years, Hermione felt completely relaxed, her mind quieting down, her entire body just melted into the older witch's side. The two stayed like that, no words exchanged until it was time for the two of them to go to bed. Bellatrix brushed her lips across Hermione's cheek before sauntering over to her room, a mischievous smirk firmly in place as she heard Hermione's breath catch before she hurried inside her room. Taking a deep breath, Hermione shook her head and got herself ready for bed, intent on ignoring the heat on her face and the warmth in her stomach.

Waking up, Hermione was filled with dread. She knew it was time she had to go back to Hogwarts. Groaning, she allowed her mind to wander. She knew that Gryffindor would more than likely instigate fights with her now that she had switched to Slytherin. They were a bunch of reckless idiots who were more prejudiced than the house filled with blood purists. She never understood how the house of Gryffindor felt so superior to the Slytherins when they judged the entire house for their sortings. Rolling her eyes, she pushed those thoughts to the side, wanting to try to make the most of the last few hours of happiness within the manor. Before she could get out of bed, her door pushed open, and in strolled Bellatrix with a tray of breakfast food. Hermione couldn't help the bright grin that erupted on her face. She would have never guessed that the eldest Black sister could be so sweet.

The two shared their breakfast, pressed together as close as they could while still managing to eat, not wanting to be separated for a moment. Hermione knew the next few months would be trying on her sanity, and Bellatrix knew that she would be constantly worrying about Hermione and her mental health. The feelings were such a welcome thing to Bellatrix after her years of darkness, she wasn't going to let her happiness be taken away, especially by some idiotic Order members who thought they could mess with such a bright witch. The dark witch smiled softly at her younger counterpart before leaning in and pressing her lips against her temple. The two sat there together until it was time for Hermione to leave.

Hermione arrived at the train station with Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius, ignoring the stares that she received. She knew it was risky showing up with the Malfoys, but she would also be releasing the information about her bloodline soon enough, especially once she started recruiting some of the students. Being related to the Dark Lord would give her the ins to recruiting more students and unbeknown to her, would make sure that every Slytherin student would cater to her, not wanting to risk getting punished. Most of the Slytherin students already knew of her bloodline, seeing as most of their parents told them so that they could make sure to treat her with the respect she deserved, especially after the raid that she participated in.

Draco knew that Hermione wouldn't be expecting such a wonderful treatment from her new house, but he figured the surprise might do her some good and show her that while some of the houses ideals were a bit backwards, they ca red for their own, something she hadn't had much experience with. Besides, once she realized that she didn't have to worry about being cursed or attacked in her sleep, the happier she would be with the given freedom to complete her mission at Hogwarts. Recruitment of all students who were of age, and retrieval of a certain item that their lord wanted.

The first day back was rather trying for Hermione. She didn't expect the warm welcome that Slytherin gave her, nor did she expect as much open hostility from her former house. Surprisingly, there were quite a number of people from all houses that didn't question her switching houses and still considered her the intelligent witch who had helped them all study and lend an ear when needed. Most of the hostility was fanned by Ron and Harry, both of who had according to one of Hermione's pupils, enraged at her switching and told anyone who would listen that she was corrupted by Death Eaters and was now Voldemort's right hand man. The thought was hilarious to Hermione. No one would believe them except the idiots that fawned over Harry, and it was surprisingly close to the truth. Though she wouldn't say she was his right hand man, that was a spot reserved for Bellatrix and Severus, neither who she would want to usurp from their titles.

Anytime a student got too aggressive with her, one of her Slytherin comrades would swoop in with threats and wands drawn, all intent on protecting the witch so she wouldn't get in trouble. Draco had told some of his own inner circle to make sure that she didn't have to fight so they wouldn't know how advanced she had gotten and to make sure that Dumbledore didn't have a reason to be alone with her. He was worried that the old man would try to control Hermione again and he didn't want to lose his new friend, nor deal with the wrath it would surely instill in his Aunt and his lord.

Hermione was all too happy to allow the other Slytherins to take care of the others, it helped increase her standing with the other houses and was making it easier to get closer to some of the students that no one was recruiting, such as Ginny and Luna, both of who were sick and tired of Harry getting all of the credit for the stuff that Hermione had done and even what they had done. The two were also much darker than what most gave them credit for, Luna especially. Hermione had kept up the facade earlier that she thought she was crazy, but again it was to make sure no one really bothered her. Luna hadn't taken offense to it either, thinking it was rather fun to have a friend in secret, especially one who believed her when she said she saw random flashes of events or creatures that no one else seemed to know about. Hermione knew better than to not take Luna seriously, besides, she was supposed to be a muggleborn, yet here she was with blood purer than most. Due to this, the three girls were getting rather close to one another, usually meeting in secret so Ginny didn't receive any backlash from her family. Hermione knew that the time was coming to try and sway them to her, but she needed to push them just a little bit more.

That push came sooner than she expected. She was walking the halls before curfew, having just left Ginny and Luna, enjoying the silence that rang throughout the halls when she heard footsteps. Taking a deep breathe, she slid her wand into her sleeve, her training coming into the forefront without her even thinking about it. She focused her ears, hearing the footsteps get closer without seeing anyone. She knew it would probably be Harry and Ron, for while they had been trying to cause a rift with her and the other students, they had kept their distance from her.

"Ron, Harry, why don't you go ahead and come out from hiding. I can hear your thunderous footsteps. You aren't nearly as inconspicuous as you think you are."

She knew that the slight insult would enrage the two idiots. And she was right. The two boys flung the invisibility cloak off of themselves, Ron's face blotchy and jaw tensed, while Harry readjusted his glasses with a glare.

"We know that you're a death eater now you stupid bitch. We are going to make you pay for your betrayal! You don't deserve to be back here, especially now that you have become a filthy Slytherin!"

Hermione scoffed at Harry's remarks, shaking her head at their ignorance. She knew that Ginny and Luna were in the shadows nearby listening to what the two said. This could push the two over to her side if she played her cards right.

"Well, hello to you too. I haven't done anything to the two of you, even though you deserve it for the bullshit you tried to do before. How's your wand by the way? I think that leaving you with a broken wand for attempting to rape me is better than me breaking every single bone in your body, don't you?"

Ron immediately slung a hex at Hermione, causing her to wince and double over, trying to play it up so that they wouldn't realize she blocked the majority of the spell. He raised his wand to curse her again, yelling about how next time he wouldn't fail when Dumbledore and McGonagall walked upon them. McGonagall's face immediately turned to stone as she took in the scene. Harry and Ron cornering Hermione, who had obviously been hit with a spell while she stayed unarmed.

"Harry, Ron, what happened here? Did Ms. Granger try to-"

"Albus Dumbledore! How dare you accuse Ms. Granger of starting this when it was obviously those two little twits! She is unarmed and has obviously been hit with a hex. I have never seen such a disgusting view of bias from you. I'm extremely disappointed in you Headmaster. Extremely. Ms. Granger, why don't you come with me and I will get you cleaned up alright? Albus, I expect something to come of those two."

With that, McGonagall took Hermione to her chambers and cleaned her up, noticing that Hermione wasn't in bad shape at all. She didn't say anything though, knowing that in time Hermione would let her know what was going on. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that she had stayed with the Malfoys and had obviously befriended Draco, which meant that there must have been a good amount of things that she wasn't privy to currently. Perhaps her star pupil had learned things that she wasn't allowed to speak of, or perhaps she was waiting for the right time to tell her. But she knew that eventually Hermione would need to open up to her, especially about her joining Voldemort. McGonagall could sense a powerful glamour on her arm, something that of course Albus wouldn't notice. He was too invested in his Golden boy after all.

After Hermione went back to her dorms and managed to get Draco to calm down, she waited for Luna and Ginny to contact her, knowing that they would want to talk about what had happened. Luckily for her, Ginny was always rather impatient. The two walked into her room, after all, everyone in Slytherin knew that they were friends of Hermione's and they protected their own.

"Ginny. Luna. I need to tell you guys something, something important. I trust you enough to not make you swear an oath to keep this secret, so please don't betray my trust." The two didn't know that if they did react badly and wanted to tell someone, she would just obliviate them and work a bit harder to try again. She knew she would have to be careful about it all, but after what they just saw, there was a great chance that they were going to side with her. With that, she drew her left sleeve up and removed her glamour.

"I know this is going to be a shock to you. Harry and Ron were right that I pledged my loyalty to Voldemort. But what they don't realize is that he isn't a blood purist. That's just how he got some of the older families to join, but now that I have come along, he's doing away with that completely. He's wanting to protect our society, muggleborns and creatures alike. The Order says that they are wanting to protect them as well, but I was the only muggleborn to ever be in the ranks, and even then I wasn't a full-fledged member. They still allowed the laws to never change for werewolves. Look at Lupin. He still got sacked and is a penniless man who has to rely on the charity of Dumbledore. That isn't right at all. Why do you think Voldemort has so many followers? All of the werewolves are supporting him and once he starts heavily recruiting, the other creatures will more than likely fall into his ranks as well. There is more to tell you as well. I'm not muggleborn. The Order killed my parents and took me away from them and placed me under a ridiculous amount of charms and potions to make me befriend Harry and Ron. Hell, they forced the sorting hat to put me in Gryffindor when I was always meant to be in Slytherin. I'm actually a pureblood and am Voldemort's cousin. I know that this is a lot of information, but I couldn't keep it from you guys anymore. I understand if this changes things…but I would really like it if we weren't on opposite sides. You two have become very dear friends of mine and I don't want to have to face you in battle."

The two girls looked at her in shock, taking in everything that she said. After a few minutes, the two frowned and looked at Hermione.

"I never realized just how messed up everything was Hermione. I…I will stand with you. You have never treated me with anything other than respect and I have honestly been questioning the Order for a while now. And…well we were in the hall when Harry and Ron attacked you. If Ron…if he could try and attack you like that and what you said…well I don't think I can follow a leader who allows that to happen to someone he was supposed to be protecting you. I will stand with you."

Ginny had a small frown on her face, but she agreed with Luna. Without them knowing, Hermione delved into their minds, and to her pleasant surprise they were being truthful.

"I thank you two. I will have to make an oath with you, I hope you know that. I would prefer to make it now. It's not that I don't trust you, but it will make sure that you can't divulge this information, even if someone were to preform legilimency on you. It's for all of our protection."

The two girls agreed to the oath, effectively binding themselves to Hermione, and in turn binding them to Voldemort. They never would have thought that this is where their life would take them, but they knew it was for the best, especially if the two were to survive the incoming war. With their fates tied to Hermione, the witch was that much closer to achieving her goals of recruitment, and with a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor on her side, recruitment should become that much easier. Hermione would be able to do what she was tasked with doing, and no one would be the wiser.


End file.
